Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Delish meets no-brainer in this exceptionally easy, yet very good chicken dinner.  Really, you can serve this to company.  Quick to prepare and not long in the oven.  All things being equal, I can maybe come up with a photo.... Soonish. 

Everyday Food, October 2005

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 bone-in chicken breast halves (about 3 pounds)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and zest. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
2. Divide parsley mixture into four mounds. Carefully loosen chicken skin with fingers; tuck parsley mixture under skin. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan.
3. Bake until skin is crispy, chicken is cooked through, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 165 degrees, about 30 minutes.

30-Minute Turkey Chili

I made this yesterday.  (April 9, 2013) Next time I will double it.  I'm serving it again with brown rice from the baked brown rice recipe to fill out the servings and to enhance the protein combo the way rice does. We discussed the merits of this recipe in some detail since I'm putting it into the rotation.  The consensus was that while we would have said "this is not our usual chili recipe," we would not have said, "Wow, this recipe really suffers for lack of beefy red meat."  I'm inclined to try the standard recipe with turkey instead of beef, just to see.  Will report.  

30-Minute Turkey Chili

From Food Network Kitchens

Prep Time:10 min

Cook Time:30 min

Level:Easy

4 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped  (I believe I have the blessing of Cooks Illustrated for pressing rather than mincing or chopping.  I almost always press garlic.  And 5 cloves is over the edge for me.  3.  2 1/2.)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons chili powder  (I used Pensey's Hot and 9000--one teaspoon of each.) 

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 chipotle chile en adobo, coarsely chopped, with 1 tablespoon sauce (You can keep canned chiles in adobo in the pantry for years on end and eat it without dying.  Apparently.  At least not after 22 hours or so.)

1 pound ground turkey

1 (12-ounce) Mexican lager-style beer (Some reviewer used IPA.  So I did, too.  Easily swayed.) 

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice.  (Here's a thing.  I used a 28 oz can because of an attention span problem.  Seemed to make no difference, but be aware.)

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Sliced scallions, cilantro sprigs, avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey jack cheese, and/or tortilla chips, for garnish, optional

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder, and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the chipotle chile and sauce; cook 1 minute more. Add the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until the meat loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Add the beer and simmer until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes--crushing them through your fingers into the skillet--along with their juices and the beans; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes.

Ladle the chili into bowls and serve with the garnishes of your choice.

Cook's Note: A skillet's larger surface area reduces sauces faster than simmering in a saucepan.

Baked Brown Rice

Baked Brown Rice

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time:1 hr 5 min

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain (Critical importance on the med or short.) 
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter/you could use olive oil if your prefer.
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a covered saucepan. (The cover is to keep the water from steaming away and screwing up the proportions/if you grab it as soon as it starts to boil, you can skip the lid.  I do.)  Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. [Or two layers of reg foil.  Heavy duty is just so easy and satisfying to us.  Get the regular size if you get it; not super long which is neither of the above.]  Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.  It's ready immediately; you do not have to serve it right then.  Just fluff again.  Mike if you have to. (Serve next week.  I always wrap the leftovers in the foil from the baking; like a little carry-out swan.)  

Apricot Lamb Chop

Just in case you'd like to try this.  And you know what.  You could probably do this with a pork chop.  When you pull the chop out of the oven, set it on the stove and pour the sauce over; turn the chop.  Plate.  Drizzle with extra sauce.  (Save leftover sauce for up to a week and drizzle on, I dunno, anything.  Breakfast cereal.)  Or smarter, probably, halve the sauce recipe.  

4 servings


Ingredients:

1/2 cup apricot preserves  [Didn't have 'em; used Orange Marmalade (the go-to preserve); not sorry.]

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic  (Just press a clove; what are they thinking?) 
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce  (I really advise the use of low-sodium soy sauce.  Even though "low" in this instance is a joke.  A cruel joke. No taste difference that I can discern. Especially in a recipe that calls for a half tsp.)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 4-oz lamb loin chops trimmed
1 Tbs. Olive oil.

Preparation:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Combine salt, cinnamon, and pepper, and sprinkle over both sides of lamb. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with olive oil (as little as you can get away with; the lamp will add fat and you don't want a lot of grease in the sauce.) Add lamb to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove skillet from heat; add apricot mixture, turning lamb to coat. Place 2 chops on each of 4 dinner plates; spoon remaining apricot mixture evenly over chops. (I vote 3 chops) 

Daddy's Candy

Well, when I chose the name Mom Food for this blog, I was kind of thinking of me being the mom in the title. But scrolling through, I notice that it's way more intergenerational than that. Because a lot of the food that John wanted recipes for is my mom's or Bill's mom's. My grandma is in here, too.

And now Bill's dad, Marion, has his turn. The candy we always refer to as "Daddy's Candy" is a Christmas tradition at our house. We don't make it every year, but when we don't make it, we miss it.

The instructions are a little vague. I had to check in with Vicky to clarify some things, and you still will need to wing it just a bit.

I didn't get to know Bill's dad very well before he died, but I've always felt his personality when we made his candy. Especially when Ginny was here to preside. There were always serious preparations, dire warnings, unanswerable questions and lots of laughing. That pinch of soda thing is good for a few shrieks. And the transition from not cool enough to too cool can result in major consternation. Even hollering.

So, we'll make the recipe this year in memory of Marion and Ginny. And the memories, like the candy, will be very, very sweet.

Daddy's Candy

Ingredients

3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
Butter the size of an egg, added after other ingredients are combined and cooking
Pinch of soda, added when mixture starts to boil
1 cup walnuts

Butter a 9 x 13" pan.

Directions.

Stir first five ingredients until boiling, then occasionally; brush any crystals down sides of pan using brush dipped in warm water.
Add pinch of soda as noted above. (And kind of stand back, as I recall.)
Cook to 238˚.
Beat until smooth. Can be done by hand (if you've been lifting weights! Vicky's comment.) but using a stand mixer works best.

Add 1 cup walnuts while beating. (You want the nuts to maintain their size so do not add too soon or they will become too pulverized.) This candy goes from not cool enough to too cool very quickly. It will start to change color and will start getting thicker when it is ready to pour into the buttered pan.

Pour into buttered pan. Cut into squares. Or break into pieces. It's fine either way.

Quick. Before I forget. Boiled Frosting

This is your Grandmother Snider's recipe and I lose it fairly often because I make it very infrequently. But it's the one and only.

1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat water, syrup, sugar, cream of tartar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.

Place egg whites in bowl. Whip at Speed 10 (Kitchenaid) until whites begin to hold shape (about 45 seconds. Continue beating and pour the hot syrup gradually into bowl in fine stream -- should take about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add vanilla and continue whipping abou 5 minutes or until frosting loses it's shiny appearance and will stand in stiff peaks. Stop. (Who wrote this recipe? Stop???) Frost cake immediately.

Well, John. You are probably never going to make this dressing, but I'm posting it here for the world. (i.e., Elaine.)

Aunt Susie's Celery Seed Dressing

1 cup oil (I use canola or plain vegetable)
1 medium onion, quartered (unless you don't have a blender; then you have to grate it.)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
9 TBS. sugar (I know. I know.)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 TBS celery seed

Mix oil, onion salt, mustard & sugar in blender.
Blend well to combine.
After the ingredients above are combined, slowly add the vinegar and celery seed while blending on low speed.

This dressing keeps well in the fridge. For a very long time. Good thing, too. It makes a lot. It's awesome in any sweet/sour combo, fabulous with Gorgonzola and pears and pecans and ... and .....

Mashed Potatoes Grandma-Style

This is so not brain surgery. You need the right potatoes. There's debate. But generally use potatoes labeled Russet. Russet sounds like "red" to me, but these are not redskins. They're brown skinned, usually Idahoes. OR use yellow tinged potatoes like Yukon Golds which give you a smooth, buttery appearance. Green Giant sells a yellow Yukon look-alike that seems to work fine as well. (Not frozen or anything, just Green Giant's brand on the bag in the fresh veggie aisle.)

Peel the potatoes (I'd say about six-eight medium sized ones for your first attempt) and as you peel them, put them into a bowl of cold water. Potatoes turn brown if they're exposed to the air after they're peeled. Cut them in quarters lengthwise or just slice them thickly. (Your Grandma Snider figured this out kind of at the end of her potato career. They cook a little faster if you slice them. No biggie.) Put them in a pan big enough to hold them comfortably and cover with cold water. (Cold water is the rule.) Salt the water a bit, but don't go overboard. Cover the pan, bring to boil, simmer for approx 20 min or until they're tender when pierced with a knife. Don't overcook them, but don't be paranoid either. While you're simmering the potatoes also warm about 3/4 cup milk over low heat or in a microwave safe cup.

Drain them in your colander and then return to the pan. And melt a couple TBS. of butter with the milk, too.

Be sure you're using a pot with a sturdy bottom. Or a bowl that can take some abuse. Don't put the hand mixer into the bottom of a non-stick pot for example. It'll flake the Teflon off. Use the mixer or the manual masher and break up the potatoes into small bits. Then add the milk a little at a time and beat/mix as you go. Look for the texture you like, just keep mashing and adding milk until things are smooth. Add a little more butter! Salt, but don't go overboard. Taste them. They'll taste good. This takes a little practice but it's hard to screw up.

Enjoy!

Reports in at "a little crunchy"

Here's the Riz a la Vegas. John says it's a little crunchy. Troubleshooting begins.

Special Rice

More accurately known as Riz au Nouilles or Rice with Browned Noodles, this recipe is from Pierre Franey's More 60 Minute Gourmet cookbook and was a staple at our house while you were growing up. (As you know -- thus, your request.) We cooked out of the two Franey 60-Minute books until they are both kind of in fragments. And we used to talk about Pierre and Craig Claibourne back in the day as though they were family members. It was pretty much WWP&CD all the time. So, this is a tasty rendering of the Rice-A-Roni concept and very easy to do. As follows.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. canola or vegetable oil. Olive oil may be a little overbearing for this recipe, but it'll do fine in a pinch.
3/4 cup broken capellini or thin spaghetti (1-inch pieces or so)
3/4 cup raw rice
1 1/4 cups cold water
Salt

Directions:

1) Heat oil in a saucepan and add the broken pasta. Cook, stirring briefly, until the strands are are golden brown. Do not burn. (It can happen very fast.)

2) Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Add the water and salt to taste and bring to the boil.

Note: Good idea to have water measured and ready to go when you start browning the pasta. (See "it can happen very fast," above.)

3)Cover and simmer 17 minutes.

Tah Dah!

Yield: 4 servings.

Gingerbread Babies

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

½ cup shortening

½ cup [that's1 stick] butter

2 eggs [room temperature] [Put them in a little bowl of warm water if they're too cold. It does make a difference.]

½ C. dark molasses [I use Grandma's Molasses in the yellow jar.]

4 C. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. soda

¼ tsp. salt

In electric mixer, cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Your Grandma Snider was very serious about getting it very light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, one at a time, blending well. Stir in molasses. Sift together dry ingredients (I just measure the flour and the spices into a sieve over a large bowl and use a spoon to rub them through); stir into sugar and egg mixture. Roll into ball; wrap in waxed paper. Chill at least three hours. Cut off about a quarter at a time and re-refrigerate the rest so it'll stay cold and workable.) Roll out to thickness of about ¼" (could be thicker, depending on how chewy you like your cookies.) Cut into shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet in 325 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Store in covered jar.

I used the little gingerbread boy and girl cutters. I get red drops for belly buttons -- in the baking section where you'll find the flour and stuff. I use one of those corn holders to poke both eyes at once and the "arm" of the cutter to make the mouth.